These 5 Black Friday Send-Ups Remind Us to Keep Laughing, Not Shopping

Black Friday is almost here, that day after Thanksgiving when 147 million people endure sleep deprivation, violence, and aggressive mobs, all while spending nearly $60 billion on early Christmas gifts. But this year the phrase "Black Friday" is a misnomer, as stores are opening even earlier than last year—some as early as 6 p.m. Thursday evening; some advertisers have even started referring to it as "Black November."

That means even more shopping when we could be spending the holidays with people we enjoy.

Luckily, there's a rich opportunity for humor amid the chaos. These five send-ups make room for us to laugh at the absurdity.

1. Saturday Night Live: Mega-Mart commercial parody

2. Louie: Christmas Day Toy Doll Fiasco

3. Seinfeld: Festivus

4. Funny or Die: Black Friday Thanksgiving

5. South Park: Black Friday Mall Cops

Erin Sagen wrote this article for YES! Magazine, a national, nonprofit media organization that fuses powerful ideas with practical actions. Erin is assistant web editor at YES! Follow her on Twitter at @erin_sagen.

Erin Sagen wrote this article for YES! Magazine, a national, nonprofit media organization that fuses powerful ideas with practical actions. Erin is assistant web editor at YES! Follow her on Twitter at @erin_sagen.